A Billion Dollars Up in Smoke

Posted on Jul 16, 2009 in Research, Tax and Budget Published July 16, 2009 by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy “There is a danger to the euphoria that surrounds an unexpected source of revenue. This is the first session since I have been here [in 1992] that there seems to be so little concern with the overall increases in spending, and I think the tobacco settlement is part of that. It’s a problem. Legislators have proposals to spend...
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Understanding the Stimulus

Posted on Jun 24, 2009 in Research, Tax and Budget Published on June 24, 2009 by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy This report is a non-partisan effort to increase the public’s and policymaker’s understanding of the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the so called “stimulus bill,” as well as some of its fiscal and economic impacts in the State of Connecticut. The report highlights economic...
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How to Reduce Property Taxes with a Citizens Audit Committee

Posted on Jun 3, 2009 in Education, Research, Tax and Budget Published on June 24, 2009 by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy This manual is designed to help local politicians, taxpayer activists, and concerned citizens to lower onerous property taxes by organizing to reduce local budgets, both for their towns and schools. DOWNLOAD THE FULL MANUAL NOW! (PDF) Although written in the early months of 2009 – a time of dramatically falling home values,...
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A Look at Who Pays Connecticut’s Income Tax

Posted on May 20, 2009 in Research, Tax and Budget by Fergus Cullen, MPA, Executive Director of the Yankee Institute for Public Policy Published on May 20, 2009 by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: As Governor M. Jodi Rell and the General Assembly seek to close the existing state budget deficit and adopt a balanced budget for the next fiscal biennium, various proposals call for increasing taxes on the affluent. Several...
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The Coming Showdown with Public Labor

Posted on Apr 16, 2009 in Research, Tax and Budget By Lewis M. Andrews, Ph.D. With the cost of government at all levels – federal, state, and local – soaring wildly out of control, politicians will soon be forced to take the only action that can guarantee the continued delivery of public services at a reasonable cost: create laws to make the public sector more efficient and effective. New Zealand, which in 1984 initiated a sweeping...
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Growing Connecticut’s Economy: Corporatism vs. Capitalism

Posted on Sep 1, 2007 in Research, Tax and Budget Report published in September 2007. Corporatism has shrunk Connecticut’s economy, which needs lower taxes, less spending, and regulatory relief to grow again. Download the Report Now
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Reform Spending, Relieve Taxpayers: Real Property-Tax Relief for Connecticut

Posted on Jun 1, 2007 in Research, Tax and Budget Report published in June 2007. Connecticut can lower property taxes by repealing state mandates, adopting “anti-mandates,” and making better decisions at the local level. Download the Report Now
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Fiscal Focus: A Primer on Connecticut’s Tax Burden

Posted on May 18, 2007 in Research, Tax and Budget Report published on May 18, 2007. In Connecticut, the share of personal income that goes to taxes is 38.3 percent—the highest in the nation. Download the Report Now
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Fiscal Flapdoodle: Governor Rell’s Five Budget Myths

Posted on Mar 7, 2007 in Research, Tax and Budget Report published on March 7, 2007. This briefing exposes the flawed reasoning behind Governor Rell’s budget proposal. Download the Report Now
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Connecticut’s Fiscal ‘Voice of Reason’? The Real Rell Record

Posted on Feb 6, 2007 in Research, Tax and Budget Report published on February 6, 2007. Although Governor Rell says she is fiscally prudent, her record shows no attempt to curb Connecticut’s per capita spending which has quintupled in real terms since 1970. Download the Report Now
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